January 21st, 2014 | Posted by nikki in Blog - (Comments Off on Beginner Tips to Running the Perfect Marathon)

The trouble with training for a marathon is that every runner is different. What works for one person may not work for another and it’s tough to get to know your body, especially if this is your first marathon. The important thing to remember is that you should train at a pace that suits you and listen to your body to prevent injury. Here are some of the best tips for preparing for your first marathon that work for every runner.

Don’t overdo it

Sure you need to train enough, but getting an injury can rule you out of a race. After all those months of training it can be really heart breaking. Instead, listen to your body and push the limits, but don’t go too far. It’s better to be slightly undertrained, but strong and healthy than limping through the race with an injury.

Build up slowly

Start with a low weekly mileage and then add no more than 10% each week. Start well in advance of the race so you will have enough time to train.

Leave time for recovery

When you do long runs or have a tough week of training, make sure that you leave ample time for recovery. Don’t worry that you are losing form; you’re fine! Not leaving enough time to recover will mean you set yourself up for injury.

Perfect your pace

You need to find the pace that is right for you and practice it. Running too fast, especially when you get caught up in the spirit of the race, will mean that you will be too tired to finish.

Get the right gear

You don’t need a lot of it, but ensure that you have the right shoes for you and use a heart rate monitor to pace yourself.

December 19th, 2013 | Posted by nikki in Blog - (Comments Off on Heart Rate Monitors)

Heart rate monitors are an essential tool for the serious athlete. Whether you are competing at a professional level or are thinking of training for a marathon, a heart rate monitor can really help you to achieve your goals.

Professional athletes have very low resting heart rates. This is because, as athletes train, their heart capacity increases. This means that the heart has to beat fewer times in a minute to achieve the same blood circulation. Miguel Indurain, a cyclist and five time Tour de France winner, has a resting heart rate of 28 beats per minute which is one of the lowest ever recorded in a healthy person.

A heart rate monitor is not just for indicating your resting heart rate, but also for monitoring the intensity of your workout. To do so, you must first establish the lactate threshold. This is the hardest you can run without experiencing serious discomfort. This means that your breathing is controlled up until the lactate threshold and after this point, it becomes labored.

Once you have established your lactate threshold, you can practice running at a pace that will help you to improve your endurance. Running too fast too often can result in injury or burnout. Running below your lactate threshold can help you to run further and improve your endurance.

Heart rate monitors also help you to establish your current level of exertion. If you are faced with a hill, you can push yourself harder if your heart rate monitor indicates that you have not yet reached your lactate threshold.

For most athletes, a heart rate monitor is an indispensable tool in their training program. Speak with your trainer so that you can establish your five heart rate zones and work on a training schedule that moves you through all five with every run.

December 5th, 2013 | Posted by nikki in Blog - (Comments Off on Avoiding the Holiday Binge)

Its holiday season and all those parties, special events and delicious dishes usually mean that you put on a little extra weight over the festive season.

Don’t diet over the holidays

It’s almost impossible to attend all these festive events and lose weight at the same time, so don’t set yourself up for failure. Be realistic about your expectations and manage your calorie intake with one thing in mind; moderation!

Get back on the horse

So you ate three cookies and had a glass of eggnog, the best thing to do now is take it easy for the rest of the day. If you do give in to temptation, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and go on a binge. Instead, just try your best and don’t leave the healthy eating for your new year’s resolution.

Get busy

With holiday movies, visiting family and friends and cooler weather, it can be tough to motivate yourself to get moving. Don’t skimp on your exercise regimen over the holidays. Instead, make moving part of your holiday fun. Make snowmen outside with the kids, go ice skating with friends or take walks around your neighborhood to see the festive lights. It’s ok to stay away from the gym, but try to get moving over the holidays so that you keep your weight in check and feel better too.

Don’t forget the water

Drink a glass of water for every glass of wine or every cocktail so that you stay hydrated and feel fuller. When it comes to drinks, try to limit yourself to one or two a day as they do contain a lot of calories.

November 7th, 2013 | Posted by nikki in Blog - (Comments Off on Medical Benefits of Meditation)

At Healthcheck Systems.com your well being is our most important concern. Mediation is the practice of stilling the mind and focused breathing that helps practitioners to live long and healthy lives. One of the best things about mediation is that it’s free and you can do it anywhere. You don’t even need any equipment, simply close your eyes and relax. Here are some of the main benefits of practicing even a couple of minutes of mediation every day.

Health benefits of mediation:

Increased immunity: A study at the Ohio State University found that mediation boosts your immune system. In particular they focused on the ability of practitioners to reduce the incidence of cancerous cells and they found that patients who meditated regularly had fewer incidences of tumor growth.

Relaxation: Meditation has a profoundly positive influence on stress and the central nervous system. The deep relaxation achieved during meditation enables practitioners to reduce their stress levels and all the bad health effects of stress.

Lower Blood Pressure: Just ten minutes a day of mediation is able to make a significant impact on blood pressure levels and it doesn’t come with all the side effects of the medication you would have to take to achieve the same result.

Reduces heart disease: Perhaps it’s because you’re calmer and have lower blood pressure, but meditation reduces the C-reactive protein in the body with is associated with heart disease.

Reduces pain and inflammation: Regular meditation is able to markedly reduce inflammation and pain in patients.

A daily meditation need only take a couple of minutes. But it will make a big difference to your life both emotionally (you’ll be calmer and happier) and physically. Go ahead… try it.

October 31st, 2013 | Posted by nikki in Blog - (Comments Off on Is sugar bad for you?)

Most of us consume quite a bit of sugar every day. It’s in the beverages we drink, in the snacks we eat and even in our food, but is it really that bad for us? We take a look at the impact sugar has on your body and show you why it’s best to ditch the sweet tooth.

Mouthing off

Sugar leads to gum disease and cavities. Sugar provides food for the bacteria that lives in your mouth and this builds up on your teeth causing bad breath, cavities and gum disease. Sugar also inhibits the absorption of calcium and magnesium, which weakens teeth and bones. Sugar also increases the acidity of saliva which only exacerbates oral hygiene problems.

Body wise

Of course sugar’s best known consequences are obesity and type –two diabetes, but sugar can also cause kidney damage and lead to high cholesterol. Sugar contributes to cardiovascular disease.

Sugar can cause hypertension and has been linked to depression in several studies. Sugar increases the likelihood of hyperactivity and crankiness in children and it can increase their adrenaline levels.

Sugar causes hypertension, migraines and hormonal imbalances as well as a long list of other ailments.

Luckily, there are tons of alternatives to sugar that allow you to enjoy sweet things without the negative physical effects of sugar. You can use agave, stevia, honey or maple syrup to sweeten your meals and drinks. As with all things; moderation is the key. When you enjoy sweet things in moderation, you are unlikely to experience long-term health risks. Remember to stay away from candy, but do eat dark chocolate which is actually good for you (again in moderation!)

September 24th, 2013 | Posted by nikki in Blog - (Comments Off on Eat yourself to a Better Memory)

Dementia is one of the fastest growing diseases and affects 24 million people worldwide. It causes memory loss and affects thinking, language ability, judgement and behavior. With widespread increases in the incidence of dementia, 84 million people will be affected by the year 2040. There are some foods you can eat which will help to mitigate the effects of age-related memory ailments.

Berries

These contain anti-oxidants which combat free radicals which attack and damage brain cells. Just a ¼ cup of berries a day can help to improve your memory. Other foods which are good for their anti-oxidants include garlic, onions, green tea, red wine, broccoli and spinach.

Spinach

Foods high in vitamins B6 and B12 are vital to healthy brain functioning and increase red blood cell production. Spinach has both these B-vitamins in abundance as well as potassium, magnesium and folic acid.

Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts

These two veggies contain acetylcholine which helps to create connections in the brain. Dairy and salmon are also really great sources of acetylcholine.

Salmon

Boost your memory by 15% with the Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and other foods like mackerel, sardines, trout, prawns and mussels. These oily fish should ideally be eaten at least twice a week.

Dieting is tough and with the benefits so far off, it can be tough to stay strong. There are a number of tips and tricks you can use that will help you to stick to your diet and help keep you motivated.

Don’t just cut out the fun stuff: Most diets fail because essentially, they are just your regular diet with all the great snacks cut out. Instead of committing to cutting things out of your diet, commit to living a healthier lifestyle. This will not only help you to lose weight in the beginning, it will also help you to keep the pounds off in the long run. Start buying more fruits and veggies, find new recipes to enjoy and find snacks and desserts that are healthy and fun.

Set attainable goals: Every time you fail on your diet, you make it harder to lose weight the next time. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, set goals that are realistic and attainable. Don’t try to lose a gazillion pounds by next week Friday, instead focus on losing a couple of pounds a month in a healthy way that allows you to have some treats as you go along.

Get organized: Bad eating is often a consequence of poor organization. Skipping breakfast or finding yourself at the office with nothing to eat is a sure-fire way to poor food choices. When your blood sugar levels crash, you get so hungry that you start to crave foods high in sugar and carbs. Instead, plan your meals, always make sure you have healthy food in the house and leave yourself plenty of time for cooking. This will save you time, effort and money in the long-term while allowing you to shed the pounds.

Obesity is affecting 1 in 3 North American kids and, in an effort to increase activity levels, many parents and schools are giving out pedometers to measure the distance students cover in a day. Students who live sedentary lives manage between 1,000 – 3,000 steps a day. The ideal amount of walking needs to increase to 10, 000 steps a day in order for your kids to live long, healthy lives.

A sedentary lifestyle not only reduces a child’s life expectancy, it also reduces the quality of their lives significantly. Diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and other health ailments will mean that they can’t enjoy life as much as they would like. Getting your kids to move is a great way to improve health, burn calories and improve quality of life.

Having pedometers helps you and your kids monitor their activity levels. They can run or walk each day while wearing their pedometers on their belts. Start by setting realistic goals. Measure how much they walk each day for a week and then work out an average for each day. Increase the amount they have to walk by 500 steps every two weeks. Offer rewards when weekly targets are met.

You can help your kids get active by getting moving yourself. Instead of driving everywhere, walk to the shops, visit a friend or take your dog for a walk. Visit the park with your kids, or the zoo or a museum where they have to walk more.

An active lifestyle starts with you, so be a good example and get your family moving. You will save money on medication and have the joy of seeing your family healthier, happier and slimmer!

Pedometers help kids to get a real sense of their progress. They have a tangible number they need to work towards in terms of the number of steps they have to walk in a day, week or month. Having rewards to work towards will help to keep them motivated and soon, walking and being active will becomes a way of life.

August 31st, 2013 | Posted by nikki in Blog - (Comments Off on Vitamins Vital to Teeth and Gum Health)

Vitamins are vital to your health and well being. There are a list of vitamins that are directly linked to teeth and gum health. Making sure that you get your daily dose of these vital vitamins will help prevent tooth decays and gum disease. It is especially important for young children to get their daily dose of vitamins as they are growing their new teeth. Providing a balanced diet at a young age with stand them in good stead as they get older. Vitamins vital to healthy teeth and gums are vitamins A, C and D.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is produced in the body when it reacts with beta-carotene. Beta-carotene can be found in orange vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots. Vitamin A can also be found in yellow fruits such as bananas and pineapples. Leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach and Swiss Chard are also rich in vitamin A. Low-fat dairy products, fatty fish and eggs are also great sources of vitamin A.

20 minutes of exposure to the sun three times a week should be enough to ensure sufficient vitamin D intake. Vitamin D is created when your skin reacts to sunshine. If you live in a place where there is little sunshine in the winter months, consider taking a supplement to maintain the integrity of teeth and bone health.

Healthy teeth also need calcium, fluoride, phosphorous and magnesium. Of course, calcium is the most important of these minerals, so ensure that you get your daily dose.

You may not know this, but many Orthodontists have used Botox for uses other than those associated with wrinkles. Botox was first used in medical procedures designed to minimize twitching or spasms. Orthodontists use it to minimize grinding of teeth or dental problems like temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.

Many areas in the US and Canada have approved dental specialists for cosmetic procedures. Here dentists and orthodontists can administer Botox injections to their clients. You already know and trust your dentist and they have both the expertise and facilities to administer Botox safely.

“As a dentist, I’m very well-trained in the musculature and anatomy of the face and I feel no other doctor can give an injection better than a qualified and experienced dentist,” says Minneapolis dentist Dr. Michael Skadron.

It’s not just Botox that many dentists are offering their patients; they can also take courses in other cosmetic dermal fillers.

Having a cosmetic and dental treatment every six months helps save time and money. Says mother of three Jenny Lewis of Vancouver BC where dentists are authorized to perform Botox procedures; “I go for my cleaning and checkup every six months anyway and it’s really convenient for me to have my Botox done at the same time. I know that my dentist is professional and hygienic and I have no idea which health spas are reputable. This saves me time and is so convenient. I already feel comfortable with my dentist, so I am grateful that he has decided to add this valuable service to his repertoire.”

Jenny is among a growing number of men and women who are enjoying the diversification in dentistry.

If you decide to get botox treatment, make sure its safe, secure and healthy.